Daily Verse

His Rod and Staff Comfort Me

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
“...I will fear no evil for you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:4b

I have often wondered exactly what this part of the Twenty-Third Psalm meant. Thinking back to my own childhood, a rod and staff were not a source of comfort, rather dread, because they were used by my parents to administer needed correction to me on occasion. But then I came the seventeenth chapter of Exodus. In this story, while the people of Israel were being led by Moses around the desert for forty years, they were thirsty. Deserts are not hospitable places. No one says, “Hey let’s go and hang out in the desert for a month!” As we might expect while the Israelites were there, they ran out water, and things were looking pretty bleak. But these folks had also experienced many major miracles. They had seen the Nile turning to blood, and the parting of the Red Sea. Yet, though they had seen God taking care of their needs time after time, they didn’t go to Moses asking, “What miracle will God do this time?” Instead, they showed up at his tent door shouting, “Did you lead us here to kill us all with thirst?”

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But God was patient, and instead of telling Moses to whack them over the head with his staff, he commanded him to strike a large rock. When Moses did that, suddenly fresh cool water poured out. Later on, when things began looking up, an enemy army showed up to attack them. During the battle, Moses took his staff, climbed a hill, and held it up. While he did that, Israel’s soldiers begin beating back their enemies, but when he was tired and his arms begin falling, they started losing, until his brothers came and held his hands up.

And then I thought that, just like those people, when we are in our dry places, God’s staff struck the rock at Calvary and from that source of Christ’s suffering, God refreshes our souls with mercy. And in our own desert journey when we find ourselves under attack God is not absent, He is watching over us, and lifting up the rod and staff of His Word over us. But, unlike Moses, God’s arms never grow tired. He never wearies, and no matter what we lack or are fighting, God promises to be with us. He comforts us with His rod and His staff and with His Spirit gives us victory over every enemy. Then, at the end of our journey He promises that those who are faithful to Him will be welcomed into His presence where His goodness and mercy will follow us for all eternity!

God is Watching Over You

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:4 ESV

This verse was in my morning devotional, and it touched me because it is one I struggle with. Yes, I believe God is watching, but there are nights when I still lie awake, wrestling with things I wish would change, worrying about the next day, or just having random thoughts racing through my mind. At those times, one of the most comforting things is remembering that there are others who God has put in my life to come alongside me in weakness. Yes, God watches, but he also sends widows to feed prophets, little boys to share their lunch with hungry multitudes, and spiritual mothers who stand by us when we are on the cross. God watches us, God’s love connects us and He will see us all through till the morning He wakes us to come sit by His side forever!

He is Calling Twice

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

I have always been intrigued at the times when God called people twice. The first I find is with Abraham, after by faith he had prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar, and God sent an angel to stop him, “Abraham, Abraham!”. (Genesis 22:11). Because Abraham trusted God, God called him to a deep friendship, and later, the Bible tells us that, Abraham was called, “The friend of God” (James 2:22; Isaiah 41:8)

Four hundred years passed till Moses became the second one called twice. While he was watching sheep, he noticed in the distance a bush on fire, but not burning up. When he came closer to see it, Moses heard God calling. “Moses, Moses, and he said, ‘Here I am,” Moses didn’t know what God’s calling meant, but he trusted God and made himself available.

The third person we meet is a young boy named Samuel. God came in the middle of the night; not because of anything special that Samuel had done, but because he had been dedicated from birth by his mother to God, and he had become a servant to the priest. “And the Lord came and stood calling, as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, “speak for your servant is listening.” Though Samuel’s call originated in his mother’s faith, God’s purpose for Samuel could only be fulfilled by Samuel’s own response. Samuel listened to hear what God had for him to do.

The last person we find with that double calling, lived almost a thousand years later, and her name was Martha. “But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha! Martha! You are anxious and troubled about many things, “Luke 10:41 The Bible later tells us that Jesus loved Martha, as he also loved Mary who sat at his feet and Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead, (John 11:5) God called Abraham, tested his faith, and called him a friend, He loved Moses, and called him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. God loved the young boy Samuel, even before He knew Him, and He loved Martha, who was so busy serving that she hadn’t taken time to listen. And just as God loved each of these very ordinary people, He also loves you and me. He calls us like Abraham to be a friend. He also calls us like Moses, to be used to rescue others. He calls in the middle of the night, like Samuel, even before we know Him, and He calls us like Martha, even when we aren’t listening. He loves us and is calling us to trust Him when we can’t understand, to come closer to His presence, to wake up to service, and yet also slow down, take a seat, and listen. Which of these calls is He calling you to today?

Prayer: Father God, I am here, unworthy of your calling, yet I really want to know you, to obey your will, and to learn what it means to be your friend!